Jun 18 Green Papaya Salad

The first time I tasted green papaya salad was when I was in Thailand, and I couldn't believe how delicious it was. Fresh, crunchy, intense, and spicy, all at the same time! I just had to learn how to prepare it straight away. After I came home, I googled around about the health benefits of eating the green papaya, and it turns out that there are plenty. To name a few:

It is beneficial against acne, pimples and other skin infections.

It is rich in enzymes, vitamins and phytonutrients.

Protect from heart diseases.

It contains vitamin A, B, C, and E.

Now, I would like to share this fantastic green papaya salad recipe with you. To me, this is another dish that can be served as a starter as well as a side dish of a summer BBQ. Enjoy!

(serve 4)

Please note: This salad can be prepared hours in advance. All ingredients should be kept separately in the fridge before serving. Once mixed together, the salad should be served immediately, otherwise the vegetables will lose their firm texture.

What you'll need:

1 medium-sized green papaya (you can normally get them at the Asian supermarket)

5-7 hierloom cherry tomatoes

60 g long beans or green beans

1 medium-sized carrot

1-2 bird-eye red chilies

2 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tsp coconut palm sugar (optional)

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, for non-vegan, can use fish sauce

30 g roasted peanuts

30 g roasted cashews

Handful of coriander

How it's made:

Bring a small saucepan of water to boil. At the meantime, cut the beans into 2-3 cm cm long pieces. Once the water is boiled, add a tbsp of salt and stir. Then add the beans into the water. Let them boil for 3-5 mins or until the color of the beans turn darker. Then remove from the heat and rinse with cold running water for 1-2 mins to cool down the beans. Drain and set aside.

Quarter the tomatoes. Set aside.

Prepare green papaya and carrot: Peel the skin with a normal peeler. Then use a julienne peeler to grate the papaya and carrot flesh into two separate bowls. Rinse the papaya flesh with running water to remove any bitter taste and drain. Set both bowls aside.

After the seeds are removed, finely chop the bird's eye chillies. (Make sure you don't rub your eyes after you touched the chillies. I always wear an instant rubber gloves when I handle them.)